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City & Village Tours: 0845 812 5000 info@cityandvillagetours.com
ONE TO DO ON YOUR OWN
John Potter, skipper of the Princess Pocahontas is
a lovely chap and if you have enjoyed a cruise with
him in the past you’ll know he goes the extra mile
to make sure that his guests have a really enjoyable
day. Despite threatening to retire it still hasn’t
happened and John and his crew will be welcoming
folk aboard again in 2013 for cruises from
Gravesend and Tilbury to Greenwich and Central
London or Southend.
In the October issue of The Kettle (the one printed
inside the 2013 brochure) I traced the history of the
daytrip and touched briefly on the 19th century
tradition of the day trip to the seaside by steamer
from Kent or Essex pointing out that the boats
moored at the pier for passengers to go ashore.
This is exactly what happens on a day trip onboard
MV Princess Pocahontas, although she is a more
modern diesel vessel. Board at Gravesend at
10.30am and you will arrive at the end of
Southend Pier at noon or 12.30pm depending on
the tide. This is a long old pier so its advised to buy
a ticket for the return train along the pier to the
seafront - the crew arrange for the pier tickets to be
ready when you arrive. The 2012 price for seniors
was £1.80 (adults £3.60 so a good discount!).
Princess Pocahontas will depart from the pier at
4.15pm giving just about the right amount of time
for a walk along the front, lunch and maybe a
paddle and a tray of the famous local cockles.
Princess Pocahontas is licensed for 200 people but
they only ever take about 120 on board so that
everyone has plenty of space. There are inside
cabins as well as an open deck. Scheduled services
from Gravesend to Southend run on Sundays and
Bank Holidays. The MV Princess Pocahontas also
sails to Greenwich and Central London on
Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Prices are
the same for the Greenwich/London or Southend
cruises and for groups who benefit from a 20%
discount these are adults £16.80 and seniors
£13.60. If you want to have the boat to yourselves
you can book for a minimum of 50 people for a
Greenwich/London or Southend day on a Monday,
Tuesday or Friday at the standard public prices
which are adults £21.00 and seniors £17.00.
Ham or cheese ploughman’s can be pre-booked at
£5.00 per person.
Call during office hours only on 01732 353 448.
www.princess-pocahontas.com